"In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."  Matthew 5:16 ​​

Deacon Chris Hawkins
Deacon, Sacred Heart Church

Deacon Christopher Hawkins has been  a lifelong resident of LaPorte and completed his elementary education at St. Peter Catholic School, the same Parish he now has the pleasure to serve.  He laughs, " If the nuns knew I had a key to the school and church, they would be rolling over in their graves!  My nose knows every corner of every classroom and my handwriting was very good because I had a lot of practice on the blackboards."  It was around the 4th grade that  Chris had the feeling of being called to the seminary, a call that his older brother had and was living out at St. Lawrence Seminary in Wisconsin.  After Chris' brother graduated from high school from St. Lawrence, he did not pursue the priesthood and Chris saw how it affected his parents financially, so he put the thought of the priesthood on the back burner.  "That," he says, "and I found girls to be a distraction also."

After college, Chris married a South Bend, IN girl in August of 1980.  He started working with his father at Hawkins Print Shop soon after and has been an owner with his younger brother for almost 40 years.  He has two children, and 4 grandchildren, two in Valparaiso and 2 in Mankato, MN.  In his spare time he likes to ride his bike or goes to the gym to ride when the weather forces him inside.  His lawn is also something he enjoys taking care of, leaving the flowers to his wife.

One day, in the late 90's, after a few different religious experiences,  Chris decided that he had to come to terms with the question, "What do I believe and where is my faith?"  He realized that the Catholic Church was where he needed to be.  The desire to get more involved became very strong so he went through the process of becoming a Deacon.  "It has been a privilege to serve at the Parish I grew up in, to be there for those who I have known all my life and those I have come to know everyday."